Handheld pharmaceutical product scanner

A sensing device for use with a pharmaceutical product, the pharmaceutical product being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the pharmaceutical product, wherein coded data portion is indicative of at least part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of layouts, each layout defining the position of a plurality of first symbols encoding the identity, and a plurality of second symbols defining at least part of the signature, the sensing device including:

• a housing adapted to be held by a user in use;
• a radiation source for exposing at least one coded data portion;
• a sensor for sensing the at least one exposed coded data portion;
• and,
• a processor for:
• determining, using the at least one sensed coded data portion, a sensed identity and at least one sensed signature part;
• and
• causing authentication of the pharmaceutical product using the sensed identity and the at least one sensed signature part.